Donna H. Wang* and Richard D. Bukoski Pages 485 - 500 ( 16 )
Essential hypertension and atherosclerosis are major contributors to life threatening cardiovascular events including myocardial infarction, stroke, and ischemic organ damage. Current treatment strategies for both of these complex diseases is inadequate. Gene-based approaches have the potential to provide significantly improved therapies related to the specificity by which defective processes can be targeted. These therapies will be based on both traditional pharmacologic targets and novel targets that are permitted by the nature of the treatment. Progress in the development of these gene-based therapies will depend on both the development of effective vectors which can deliver gene medicines in regulated doses in a tissue or organ specific manner and upon continued progress in our understanding of the cellular and molecular basis of these complex and multifactorial diseases processes.